Wendy's Is Bringing Back A Fan-Favorite Dipping Sauce In 2026

There's something to be said for a fast food restaurant bringing back a favorite menu item that had been discontinued. McDonald's has turned the McRib's return into a recurring event, and Taco Bell brings back old-school treats like the quesarito every now and then. Wendy's is hopping on board the resurrection trend in 2026 by bringing back a discontinued nugget sauce that apparently was a fan favorite. If you loved Wendy's sweet and sour sauce, you're going to be happy come the new year.

Wendy's only axed sweet and sour in September 2025. The announcement that the sauce was returning was made official with the help of Instagram influencer JustJazzyidk. According to a statement from Wendy's, fan feedback prompted the restaurant to bring the dipping sauce out of retirement. The company went on to say that, according to survey data, 77% of diners feel sauce makes the meal when eating chicken tenders or nuggets. Nine out of 10 Americans use dipping sauces for those items.

There was definitely some online uproar over the sauce being discontinued. At least one Reddit thread about the cancellation garnered a few hundred comments expressing anger or disappointment over sweet and sour being taken away. A number of similar threads followed. There was even a Change.org petition to bring the sauce back that garnered 4,600 signatures, so Wendy's wasn't wrong to suggest there was some fan support.

Sweet and sour is a staple chicken sauce, with versions available at most restaurants. It has also long been part of Chinese takeout and is commonly used for dipping egg rolls or crab rangoon. Wendy's version seemed to be a typical sugar and vinegar-based sauce, with a bit of pineapple for a fruity accent.

Far be it from us to question the will of the dining public, and we're happy that other people will be happy with the return of their favorite sauce. But don't count us in that group. When we ranked all nine of Wendy's dipping sauces, sweet and sour came in at the very bottom of the list.

Our taste tester could not find the umami kick that complements savory fried items like nuggets, nor any of the eponymous sweetness. The tanginess was barely there, making the whole flavor profile fall apart. In short, it was just very underwhelming and a sauce we felt you should never order.

Even though Wendy's was correct in citing fan support, some Redditors criticized the sauce for being one-note or not particularly tangy, echoing our own sentiments. If you are a fan of Wendy's sweet and sour sauce and were disappointed by its recent disappearance, you can at least look forward to its return. Wendy's didn't offer a clear date for when it comes back beyond spring 2026, so keep your eyes open. In the meantime, why not try our homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe to see if that hits the spot for you?